Conference on Community Water

Conference on Community Water

Hereford Civic Center

Hereford, TX

February 24 or 25, 2026

For more than a century, communities on the Southern Plains have made a living by extracting water from local landscapes.  But going forward, our well-being and survival will depend on how well we keep water circulating in the landscapes, and how we continually rehydrate our soils, our streambeds and grasslands.

We will not be able to meet these daunting challenges simply by working individually but only through collective efforts and shared strategies.  Our Conference on Community Water will take an in-depth look at how residents of Hereford, TX and Deaf Smith County can create an ambitious plan to provide long-term water for human consumption and economic viability, while also restoring ecosystem functions so that the aquifer is recharged, landscapes are rehydrated, and agricultural production remains viable for the long-term future.

AGENDA:

Tuesday, February 24th

2:00pm Gather at Hereford Civic Center (attendees will attend only one tour)

2:30pm Study Tours

Tour #1: Utilizing Animals on Grasslands to Restore the Water and Nutrient Cycles A visit to Tierra de Esperanza Farm with Fernando Falomir

Tour #2: Renovating Rural Municipal Water Systems

Tour of city water infrastructure plans for Hereford, TX with Kole

Glover from Parkhill

Tour #3: Restoring Health and Vitality to the Tierra Blanca Watershed tour of Tierra Blanca Creek from Highway 385 east to the Municipal Golf Course and Veteran’s Park with Will Masters, Ogallala Life

3:00pm Field Excursions

5:00pm Tours conclude

6:00pm Presentation (in Spanish) by Fernando Falomir - Los Principios de Manejo Regenetivo

7:00pm Adjourn

Wednesday, February 25th

8:00am Doors Open at Hereford Civic Center: Registration & Exhibit Viewing

8:45am Welcome & Overview

Cathy Bunch, Mayor, City of Hereford, TX

Darryl Birkenfeld, Ph.D., OC Director Emeritus, Nazareth, TX

9:00am The Community of Water: An Opening Reflection

Dr. Lahib Jaddo, artist and educator, Professor Emeritus, Huckabee

School of Architecture, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

9:20am Eden Bleeding: Reflections on a Century of Groundwater Use

Melissa Musick Nussbaum, author and columnist, Colorado Springs, CO

9:50am Community Water Based on Correlative Rights

Dr. Robert Mace, Executive Director, and Chief Water Policy Officer,

Meadows Center for Water & the Environment, Texas State University,

San Marcos, TX

10:30am Break & Exhibits

11:00am Steps Toward a Community Water Plan for Hereford, TX

Dr. Chris Grotegut, veterinarian, ag producer, Hereford Economic

Development Corporation, Hereford, TX

Paula Jo Lemonds, HDR Engineering, Austin, TX

11:45am Catered Lunch and Exhibit Viewing

12:40pm “Tomorrow’s Water: The Role of Healthy, Functioning Playas: A

Panel Presentation

Heather Johnson, Migratory Game Bird Specialist: Region I, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Littlefield, TX

Jim Steiert, author, Playas: Jewels of the Plains, Hereford, TX

Joe Richards, Playa & Water Conservation Outreach Specialist, Texas Panhandle Tomorrow’s Water, Lubbock, TX

1:20pm Rural Municipal Water Infrastructure: A Panel Presentation

representing 3 rural towns

2:00pm Break & Exhibit Viewing

2:30pm Landscape Rehydration: Restoring the Tierra Blanca Watershed

Will Masters, Ogallala Life, Amarillo, TX

3:00pm Animals and Grasslands: Tools for Restoring Ecosystem

Functioning - Fernando Falomir, fifth-generation rancher, Chihuahua, Mexico

3:40pm Perennial Agriculture: Embracing Long-Term Water Sustainability

Dr. Chris Grotegut, Hereford, TX

4:00pm Next Steps & Wrap Up

4:15pm Adjourn